Ski



E. M. HUNT Sept. 8, 1925.

SKI

Filed May 19. 1924 Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES EVERETT M. HUNT, or ivnwroar, VERMONT.

SKI.

Application filed May 19, 1924. Serial No. 714,384.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Evnanrr'r M. H NT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newport, in the county of Orleans and State of Vermont, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Skis, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide for the manufacture'of skisfrom metal,

preferably sheet steel.

The invention consists in skis made of sheet metal, preferably steel, inchanneled parts the upper part suitably shaped to form a crownedfoot-rest or step and tapering thence toward the toe and heel, thechanneled parts when united forming a hollow or tubular structure, ofgreat strength, free from liability to fracture or splinter as comparedwith wood and of relatively increased urabi-lity, of light weight, andof greatly increased speediness in use; one or both of the channeledparts being braced longitudinally, and the channeled parts also beingrigidly and permanently united, as by soldering their overlapping sides,as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating th invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is aperspective view looking at the top. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of theski inverted. Fig. 3 is a cross section in perspective showing themiddle part of the ski, on .a larger scale. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are crosssections showing various ways of bracing the parts by means oflongitudinal grooves therein, Fig. 7 being a similar view in whichbraces extending from the upper member contact with the grooved lowermember, and Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the use of the groove orgrooves in the lower member only.

So far as the profile of the ski is con cerned, it may follow theconventional lines as embodied in the ordinary wooden skis, and as hereshown the metal ski of this invention comprises two longitudinallyarranged channeled parts 1 and 2, which form respectively the top andbottom members of the ski. The top part 1 is arched longitudinally so asto present the crown of the arch substantially midway between the endsof the ski and alford a rest or step for the foot. Th arched partdeclines toward the front and rear. The bottom part 2 may besubstantially flat throughout'its length excepting, of course, for thetoe portion 3 of the united parts and any midway arching that may beneeded for jumping purposes. These parts 1 and 2 have side flanges 4 and5 respectively, which in the assembling of the parts overlap orint'erengage, as shown in detail in Fig. and these overlapped portionsare rigidly united throughout their contacting surfaces, as byapplication of solder between them, as indicated at 6. The jointsbetween the flanges should be weather-tight and water-proof andsufliciently rigid to prevent relative movement of the parts.

The part 1 may be reinforced or braced by forming it with one or morelongitudinally extending grooves 7, which, as shown in Fig. 1, may runfrom near th toe or front to near the heel or back of the ski, but theinvention is not limited to the length of these grooves, and the part 2may be similarly reinforced or braced by one or more grooves 8 extendingfrom near the front to the back. In some cases the walls of these twogrooves may meet, as indicated in Fig. 3, so as to be mutuallysupporting. The grooving of the parts obviously reinforces or stifi'ensthe, parts both transversely and longitudinally, and this grooving,together with the overlapping flanges, admits of the use ofrelativelythin metal in the construc tion of the ski and a consequent lighteningof the weight of the skis Without in the least impairing their strengthand durability and capability of standing the roughest kind of usage.

The longitudinal sides of the skis may be and preferably are slightlycurved in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3 to increase the strength butwithout impairing the resilience of the skis.

I do not intend to exhaust the variations of the grooving or bracingfeature of the invention, but have added Figs. 4 to 8 as illustrative ofsome of these variations. In Fig. 4 are shown two grooves in the topmember and three in the bottom member in alternation, the grooves 7contacting with the bottom member. In Fig. 5 there is one groove 7extending from the top member to the bottom member between two groovesin the bottom member. In Fig. 6 there are two grooves 7 extending fromthe top member into'contact with the bottom member and one groove 8 inthe bottom member between grooves 7. In Fig. 7 the grooves in the topmember are replaced by attached angle or 2 bars 10. In Fig. 8 the bottommember alone is grooved, one groove being shown but any other number ofgrooves may be used as in Figs. 4 and 5.

Inall cases the grooves 7 and bars 10 serve as braces and are herein soclaimed.

Skis made of metal will slide over snow very much more easily than Wood;will not break as easily as wood; will prevent the snow from sticking tothe surface; do not require waxing as do wooden skis in order to improvetheir sliding quality; are more durable than wooden skis, and will notchip or crack as do Wooden skis; are'not liable to splinter in jumping;will not get out of shape when not in use, and are more speedyf While Iprefer to use steel in the manufacture of the skis, it is understood, ofcourse, that any metal of a springy nature might be used that is capableof being fabricated in thin pieces'in order to have lightness and yetretain springiness, strength and keep its shape.

It is of prime importance that the metal structure should be hollow andwholly enclosed in order toensure lightness and strength.

My construction in which the top and bottom parts are united throughouttheir entire lengths with the top arched for some distance over thebottom, affords, practically, a hollow or tubular body, which ensuresthe lightness and strength so desirable.

I have indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 loops 9 attached to the parts forreceiving a strap or other medium for fastening the ski to the foot, butobviously any usual or approved fastening may be employed.

Variations .in details of construction are esteemed as within theprinciple and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is 1. A sheet metal ski, of hollow construction and havingcomponent matched elements united one with the other.

2. A metal ski, having a channeled part and a channel closing part,rigidly united.

3. A metal ski, composed of channeled parts rigidly united throughouttheir lengths.

4. A metal ski, composed of channeled parts rigidly united, one of theparts being arched and forming the top of the ski and the other partbeing substantially flat and forming the bottom of the ski.

5. A metal ski, composed of interengaging channeled parts and aninterposed brace.

6. A metal ski, composed of interengaging channeled parts provided withlongitudinal grooves.

7. A metal ski, composed of interengaging channeled parts one of saidparts grooved longitudinally and the wall of the groove extending towardthe opposite part.

8. A metal ski, composed of interengaging channeled parts groovedlongitudinally, the walls of the grooves being in contact lengthwise.

9. A hollow ski, composed of two complemental channeled parts of lightweight springy metal, having interengaging longitudinal side flanges.

10. A metal ski, composed of two complemental channeled parts of lightweight spring metal, having interengaging longitudinal side flanges ofcurved cross section.

11. A metal ski, having connected top and bottom members, the top memberconstructed to impart the requisite strength to the ski.

12. A metal ski, having connected top and bottom members, the bottommember being longitudinally grooved.

13. A metal ski, having connected top and bottom members, both of whichmembers are longitudinally grooved.

14. A metal ski, composed of upper and lower members rigidly united, theupper member being arched longitudinally and the lower member beinggrooved longitu dinally, and longitudinal braces interposed between theupper and lower members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of May A.D.

EVERETT M. HUNT.

